Nicola Adams Delivers Shutout Win In Pro Debut

Nicola Adams' brilliant amateur career was loaded with accolades and a series of firsts.

Her pro debut appears well on its way to adding to her stellar resume, as the two-time Olympic Gold medalist dazzled in a four-round shutout of Argentina's Virginia Noemi Carcamo. Adams won 40-36 on the lone card from the referee in their super flyweight heat Saturday evening at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

The bout came in chief support of local favorite Terry Flanagan's lightweight title defense of Petr Petrov.

Hometown showcases are most certainly in Adams' future (more on that later). For now, she's able to update her boxing scrapbook with memories of performing in front of a massive sold-out crowd in front of her countrymen.

By her own admission, it slightly altered her performance as she was anxious to please her adoring public.

"I was a bit too eager to get the stoppage," Adams (1-0, 0KOs) revealed after his first pro contest. "She was a tough girl who hung in there - literally."

Carcamo boasted a reputation as a scrappy brawler, having never been stopped and only down once in her now eight-fight career that was previously spent entirely in her native Argentina. Adams scored with several long right hands, but was unable to connect with that money punch to put the fight away for good.

Instead, she delivered a boxing clinic, showing the level of brilliance that etched her name in the record books during her amateur days. The 34-year old became the first-ever female boxer to win an Olympic Gold medal, doing so at home during the 2012 London Olympics. She became the first to repeat honors, picking up her second Gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, all while serving as the first-ever openly gay (bisexual) boxer to claim the top prize in the amateur ranks.

Even in going the full four-round distance, she still felt it trumped any effort given prior to her pro debut.

"It was a lot better," Adams said of fighting without headgear for the first time. "You can see without the head guard, the punches were a lot clearer."

Promoter Frank Warren revealed at fight's end that Adams will next return to the ring on May 13. The appearance - against a yet-to-be-revealed opponent - will land in her hometown of Leeds, England, in supporting capacity to fellow local Josh Warrington in a featherweight clash with former 122-pound champ Kiko Martinez.